Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Michigan has ended its longstanding shoe and apparel deal with Nike and signed with Adidas.

The eight-year agreement will pay U-M $7.5 million per year and begins with the 2008-2009 season. It will cover all 25 of Michigan's varsity sports teams. The old Nike deal paid Michigan $1 per year when it was first signed in 1994.

Adidas also has deals with Notre Dame, Nebraska, UCLA, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Indiana.

When informed by the MZone that Michigan was leaving the fold, Nike founder Phil Knight declared that, "Henceforth, Michigan shall be banished from participating on college gridirons across all the land!"

Told that he was just the CEO of a shoe company and couldn't do that, Knight said he could do as he so pleased because he owned college football and was also going to smite our MZone correspondent for challenging him.

In a related story from the future, Michigan announced it is raising prices on season tickets, seat licensing fees, parking, merchandise, programs and the air fans breath in and around Ann Arbor for the 2008-2009 season due to budget shortfalls in the athletic department.

UPDATE: According to the Detroit News, that $7.5 per is in cash and merchandise, with the cash value being $3.8 million annually. On top of that, "Michigan will receive $2.2 million worth of product to outfit all 25 of the school's intercollegiate athletic teams. The school also will receive $600,000 annually in guaranteed licensing and an $800,000 signing bonus."

The current Nike deal signed in 2001 was for 7 years at $1.2 million per year in cash with a total of just over $3 million annually including merchandise and 10% royalty on all Nike gear.

UPDATE, PART II: Bri at MGoBlog also notes (via the Detroit Freep) that there is a "most favored nations" clause in the deal which will keep Michigan as Adidas's highest paid college team for the length of the deal.

While I agree the new uni's are less than desireable, I really am not looking forward to this. Addidas seems to try and "tenniss-fy" everything.I don't think the piping is horrible, but the half and half is atrocious.

This is no doubt the result of Nike pushing too hard for Michigan to adopt a uniform with maize ghost flames on the helmet, a single maize sleeve on the jersey, and a metallic diamond plate pattern on the trousers.

Brian from philly: What's "Whats"? Is that a neighborhood in LA ?Kettle, this is pot, Pot, meet kettle. Didn't know the typo police patroled here. I'll be sure to stay on the straight and narrow from now on.

I don't understand the Ed Martin reference?! That was someone who wasn't affiliated with the University who got a hold of some players with personal integrity problems. Michigan was largely credited for their handling of the situation and the self-imposed punishment was more than what the NCAA handed down in such instances.

How does that situation compare to a licensing agreement between a school and an athletic goods maker?

How is Michigan going to Adidas different than the agreement any other school, say tOSU, has between between them and say, Nike (or Russel, Wilson, etc)?

Otherwise your post provides no value than to take an irrelevant shot at a rival. Yawn. If you're going to bring it, you'll have to do better than that. Isn't break time from your D & D tourney over srudoff? Doesn't your comic book store need minding?

being a independent junkie, i rather would enjoy seeing a uniform with out that gay swoosh on it. it beats the hell out of a cinderlla's castle (when will they start?) on here. brooks doesn't have the reputation and etnies would just make everyone say "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?? i only buy etnies (because they are comfy) and adidas (because they are quality, i can get 2+ years out of them.) i only have to buy new shoes because i have the worst smelling feet in toledo.

If Michigan was looking to the future for the best design on the planet, they would have signed an endorsement with my favorite shoe company......BusterBrown. But NOOOOO.....nobody ever takes my ideas. Well, at least my sweatervest idea hit the big time.

Im glad Nike is through. I use to work at a Nike Outlet store. For them to carry Michigan all these years I hardly ever seen anything on the shelf with Michigan. Of course that could be because I live in Ohio too. But besides that, If Im in a nike store I should be able to purchase what ever team nike sponors. Well hopefully adidas will pick up that slack nike had. We need more michigan stuff in ohio dammit. lol. Plus I like the idea of adidas for another reason. this is why. A.D.I.D.A.S. A=all D=day I=I D=dream A=about S=squashing buckeyes

Hey srudoff, why do you come to this site? Are you that obsessed with Michigan that you have to troll a Michigan blog site? Do you see Michigan fans on Ohio State blog sites? I highly doubt it, and if there are any, they are just faggot little trolls like yourself who have nothing else better to do. Or then again, you probably don't know if Michigan fans are on Ohio State blogs because you are too busy trolling this site to go to OSU blog sites. I think you are the moron here...

For all you Nike lovers, just know that Nike still make fan apparel for many of the teams that adidas equips. I was at the mall yesterday and saw Tennessee and Nebraska gear made by Nike. My brother also has a Louisville had made by Nike and they are adidas as well.

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